The book may not be able to burn, but I can promise you that I felt like a pile of ash by the time I was done, and I mean in a good, rotten, broken emotional way.

do you ever find a book that you pick up and it strikes a chord with you? Not just "I like that character" or "They did what I would have done in that situation" but an actual chord that stays with you all day when you do not have the book in your hands, your mind wanting to know what happens next, how it will affect you as a reader, and more importantly, how will it affect the believed characters? Well, this is that sort of book.

The book revolves around Livira, a poor orphan from the Dust (a wasteland where they strike to earn a living growing beans) and Evar (a young man who has grown up in a contained environment of a Library) with his four siblings. It follows them as they learn new and important things, each scared and trained to fight the Scabbers in their own ways. The Scabbers are the enemy of their people. One is prepared to fight, one is learning how to beat them with their learning in the Library. And when they meet, worlds are rocked to their foundations.

I have a deep respect and love for Mark Lawrence's writing, and when I was given a chance to read this book, I jumped at the chance to do so. This book has jumped to the top of the list of his works that I love, and quite frankly left me a bit of an emotional wreck. The writing has a way of getting under your skin, the characters are always there at the corner of your eye, with the feeling of ash or dust in your hands. If I have not made it clear by now that this book needs to be read, then please take the following statement for clarification: read this damned book.